A table-top exercise of the 2013 Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic will be run in Oulu, Finland, on 7 March 2018. The exercise will test cooperation and coordination processes in the event of a real-world marine oil incident.

The Arctic Council recently welcomed Bryndís Kjartansdottir as the new Senior Arctic Official for Iceland. In this interview, get to know her background and what she sees as the prospects and challenges for the Arctic Council in the months and years ahead.

In late 2017, the Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials selected Nina Vaaja as the new director of the Arctic Council Secretariat (ACS) in Tromsø, Norway. Having served as deputy director for the ACS from 2013-2017, Ms. Vaaja is well-prepared for the tasks ahead.

At the end of January, we spoke with Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, about what the Arctic Council has coming up in 2018. It will be a year that is "both daunting and full of opportunity."

With the advent of the Finnish Chairmanship in May of 2017, René Söderman assumed the role of Senior Arctic Official for Finland, while Aleksi Härkönen took on the role of SAO Chair. In this interview, get to know René Söderman's background and thoughts on his work with Arctic cooperation writ large.

The Arctic Council recently welcomed Ambassador Björn Lyrvall as the new Senior Arctic Official for Sweden. In this interview, get to know Ambassador Lyrvall's background and what he sees as the prospects and challenges for the Arctic Council in the months and years ahead.

The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity Working Group of the Arctic Council, is seeking individuals and organizations to provide abstracts, organize sessions and submit posters that will encourage a dialogue on Arctic biodiversity...

When the Arctic Council Chairmanship passed from the United States to Finland in May of 2017, the Arctic Council also welcomed new Chairs for several of its Working Groups, Task Forces, and Expert Groups. In the interview below, get to know Mikael Hildén of Finland, the Chair of the Expert Group in support of implementation of the framework for action on black carbon and methane, or EGBCM.

At the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska in May of 2017, Switzerland was one of seven new Observers admitted by Ministers. Get to know Switzerland and its Arctic connections in the interview below.

At the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska in May of 2017, the West Nordic Council was one of seven new Observers admitted by Ministers. Get to know the West Nordic Council and its Arctic connections in the interview below.

Renée Sauvé chaired the Arctic Council Working Group PAME during the U.S. Chairmanship (2015-2017), and has stayed on as the group’s Chair for the Finnish Chairmanship (2017-2019). In the interview below, read some of her thoughts as she looks back to PAME’s past two years, and ahead to its bright future.

When the Arctic Council Chairmanship passed from the United States to Finland in May of 2017, the Arctic Council also welcomed new Chairs for several of the six Working Groups. In the interview below, get to know Jens Peter Holst-Andersen of the Kingdom of Denmark, the new Chair of Working Group EPPR (Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response).

Ulrik Westman chaired the Arctic Council Working Group ACAP during the U.S. Chairmanship (2015-2017), and has stayed on as the group’s Chair for the Finnish Chairmanship (2017-2019). In the interview below, read some of his thoughts as he looks back to ACAP’s past two years, and ahead to its bright future.

At the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska in May of 2017, Oceana was one of seven new Observers admitted by Ministers. Get to know Oceana and its Arctic connections in the interview below.

At the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska in May of 2017, ICES - the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea - was one of seven new Observers admitted by Ministers. Get to know ICES and its Arctic connections in the interview below.